Slouching - I bought mine earlier this week having turned 38 weeks - if you leave it as close as possible to the due date, then the baby will have dropped so back size will have gone down a bit. I just bought a couple and will go nursing bra shopping again when baby is 3 months or so old (as boobs should have settled down by then). Totally your mum sounds like a lovely star.

Shelley - it might be worth speaking to DH about a mothers help for a few weeks post section. I know you cant do it financially in the long term but surely he knows you need some one to help take the strain at home if you've had a csec - and he cant do it and by the sounds of it your family cant do it either. Definitely take snacks and drinks if heading back to the hospital tomorrow. I always have snacks in my bag for the kids so I tend to raid those if starving - fruit yoyo anyone?

Thanks for good wishes for DS1's school induction - thankfully it went fine (though he was abit nervous in the morning). Sadly our nanny (despite having assured me all day she knows exactly where the school is so I didnt have to tell her as she used to live around there) got lost on the way to pick him up so he had an unexpected 20 minutes extra at school - the teacher was very sweet about it though so he still felt happy at the end of the day.

We are v nearly out of space on here so am going to start a new thread. Back in a mo with a link...

shelley I'm sorry it's been so tough for you, but it is good that baby is still content. I know you don't want to stress your mum but if I were her I'd be more stressed knowing that you were worried about childcare so much now. I hope you can find someone to help.

sunday maybe it will arrive on sunday...in the sunshine and be bonnie and blythe.

Shelley Sorry to hear that you are having a troublesome time - I have no advice, but definitely take provisions for tomorrow. Nothing worse than waiting around being a hungry heavily pregnant lady.

DifferentNow Congratulations on your new arrival! Hope that all is well.

I have had a glorious day today of sorting my admin faff, baking bread and watching the tennis . I've had visitors here since Friday and it's so nice to have the house back to myself (even if they did do the gardening, washing up and clean the kitchen floor for me!).

I've started a thread in pregnancy about this too, but am wondering about your experience of nursing bras if you've been through this before... Did you buy before the baby was born (thus guessing at final size!) or after? Traipsing round shops trying on bras is miserable enough at the best of times, let alone having just given birth (I'm guessing!). Any advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Congratulations different nice to you hear you got to go home quickly. Enjoy your beautiful baby girl x

Shelly sorry to hear you're having a hard time with dates. Hopefully you'll work something out, but maybe paying out for a childminder might be the answer if friends/family are too complicated? I'm going to be relying on my dad driving up from south coast (1.30hr away) and picking up my mum on the way (they're divorced). I need my mum to look after DD and my dad to take me to hospital, so I'm praying for a slow labour!

Yeay for Humphrey putting on weight

Dinky hope the school induction went ok.

Seriously want this baby out now, it is just too uncomfortable. Due on Friday: when will he come??

I'm only still working because I'd get bored at home. I also don't have any other children so don't need to wear myself out looking after them as well. I've also been really lucky and, touch wood, have been really healthy. My official finish day is next Monday - the day before my due date. Unless of course I pop first. And that's not going to be a hard day as I have a midwife appt in the morning .

just had a post written out and went to answer the door and DD who has been an utter mischief today changed web page

congratulations to you differentnow - so many june babies! persuasion i would sob without a washing machine. i seem to wash (and iron) a lot and apparently it will get worse with a baby. surely a little tiny person can't make that much washing.

dinkyunfortunately our school doesnt have morning or after school clubs, though they are looking into it for september. not much use to us right now though. and DH has the most inflexible job imaginable starts just before 8 finishes 6ish and travelling on top of that depending on where in the country he is that day. and even that changes at short notice. it drives me mad at the best of times as you never know where you are or what you're doing but its a job and one that he really enjoys and worked hard to get.

childcare or rather lack of was the main reason that i became a SAHM before DS started school. nursery was so easy in comparison! have had a couple of offers of school collections for DS this afternoon with mums that i know, but that still doesnt solve the 'waht to do with DD all day problem'. the downside of being a SAHM i guess - you dont have that childcare network. tried nursery again this afternoon but they're still fully booked this week and will look into extra days next week for me. but then hospital cant do next week. would also love a mothers help permanently but its just out of the question financially sadly.

i think tonight i may be very lazy, get a takeaway for us all <bad mummy> and get the DCs to bed at a reasonable hour so i can speak to DH in peace and try and come up with something. its making my head hurt and the angst i had about the section last time is all coming back to me now.

and i cant tell you how i am of all of you having lovely straightforward births. in the meantime i am back in hospital in the morning for another telling off, not that anything will have changed dramatically overnight. might take a picnic and a flask of tea as was left starving again this morning

Congratulations different! Glad all is well. All these new babies are making me impatient for mine!

icing I'm also getting similar bowel movements to your description, have been doing for a week or so. I assumed it was because babies head is low.

The repair man still isn't here. They sure me he will be. If he doesn't appear I may cry! Although what washing I have waiting can wait a few days longer, and my mom had offered to wash things off we need her to, but I'd rather mine was fixed!

Shelley - Im sorry you are having such a stressful time. Are there any before school or after school clubs ds can go to for the rest of term so dh can do drop off and pick ups or childminders as Twinkle suggests? Or get a mothers help for a couple of weeks to help around the house and with drop off/pick ups? Or school friends mums or dads or nannies who could help out on the school and nursery run and keep an eye on the kids on the day/evening of the cs? I know we and our friends would help out friends in your situation. I bet your mum and brother would drop everything to help out if needed - when I went into labour with ds2 our nanny was away as was our back up for childcare and my sister (who was v busy) dropped everything to come look after ds1.

Persuasion - super annoying about the washing machine and having to hand wash jeans! Hope it gets fixed soon.

Posy arrived at 8.49pm on Saturday after me being induced earlier in the day at 38+6. She weighed 8.4lb and is delightful. All my worries about hypoglycemia were for nothing and we were discharged on Sunday morning.

Oh god persuasion i think I'd cry if the washing machine just decided to break! I'd have to haul everything down the laundrette.

Sorry for tmi, but has anybody else found they have to go to the toilet a lot of often? I find that i go for lots of little poos, as if my body is keeping my bowel clear?! Pleasant i know... Just curious if its just me or not?

Washed and dried the baby clothes in the sun today, although my neighbour stepped out the back of his house for a ciggie as i was hanging them out, he was lovely though and said hell go out the front so the baby clothes dont smell! Very lucky me to have such considerate neighbours

36+3 but feeling much more energetic than any other point in pregnancy!

Sorry the hospital were not very helpful shelley. I'm sure you've already thought of all the options but are there any possible alternatives you've overlooked?

Princess congrats on weight gain. Sounds like things are looking up. Do you have any idea of a possible discharge date at the moment?

Runs I'm seriously impressed at you still working. You're either some sort of superhero or you're mad! That goes for you too vinegar with the cycling!

I've had a few slightly mad days. Yesterday the washing machine broke, but not before covering my dark load with damp washing powder so I had to handwash all the jeans in the bath which was fun! And now I'm stuck in waiting for the repair man who isn't here yet. The only plus to this is that I've had time to clean the bathroom and watch some tennis. We also had a power cut this morning but that's now fixed. And chip was being very quiet so I thought I was going to have to go be monitored, but now she's perked up so that's one less thing to worry about.

Hopefully that's all the stressful things out of the way and it's going to be all relaxed from here onwards. Have my 39 week midwife appointment tomorrow, and will be booking in for a sweep next week if nothing has happened by then.

Shelley are there any childminders that you know who drop off at the dc's school that could have them that day? I'm a childminder and would do it if it ever arose (space dependant obviously) maybe worth a try? One of our options us my friend who is a nanny but she has to be at work for 7am the next morning so would mean dp coming home even of I'm about to give birth.

Shelley I'm sorry you had such a crappy time at the hospital They should never make you feel like that, they should be there to support you not force you to do things. I don't have any advice to offer I'm afraid just virtual hugs and hoping things look up for you soon. x

home now and still no further forward. the only day in the next week or so when everything is working out for us they cant do . i felt completely bullied into signing consent forms and sorting a date today (which i didnt, esp without talking to DH first) and so no further on. its basically you have it this week, as the baby is ok at the moment - you cant have it next week. when i mentioned childcare the dr suggested whoever will be looking after the DCs whilst im there overnight do it. um that would be my husband then, who rather oddly wants to attend the birth of his own child FFS. i know you dont get this luxury with a normal birth, but then at least you get to have some choice in things. and should i have been able to have a normal birth, it would have been at home and childcare wouldnt have been an issue.

going to try and ring nursery after school and see if any little people are off sick this week (so that they now have spaces). i really dont want to tell anyone i am having the op - my mum would stress and be constantly texting and i am scared enough as it is without having to worry about other people too. and god knows what i would do about DSs school next week, or the school run until the end of term. not being able to drive and all. or walk for 30 mins up a hill (struggle even when not pregnant / post op). DD can miss nursery, but i doubt if they will let DS miss school!!!

can i try a different hospital does anyone know? not that we have many local to us. any other ideas? at the minute i guess only option is to go into labour and have EMCS . have read through the leaflet about the op and even the bit about skin to skin and BF has made me rage.

thankfully all the stress has caused lots of wiggling around so at least someone is happy in there. obviously if the baby was compromised in any way then i wouldnt be so picky but it seems happy enough at the minute. i know we dont have a crystal ball and so cant tell how things will turn out but i was heavily pressured to DDs section against my will and feel it all happening over again...

off to school now and hopefully have a calming cup of tea on my return. catch up later x